I’ve been searching a new water bottle, preferably the ones made from stainless steel. This “Save the Planet” movement has somewhat swayed my judgment. That and I always end up with 6-7 empty bottles in my room. No bottles were appealing to me, but there were a lot of Earth-friendly sites promoting crap. And at that moment, I remembered something about Tom’s Shoes.

Most of us should have seen the company on AT&T’s ad. The company gives a pair of shoes to people in some third world country for every pair we buy as consumers.

I decided to check out the prices of the shoes on their site. I figured it would at least look normal and stylish enough for everyone to wear. I also figured that it would be $50, since people will buy anything that is marketed as “Eco-friendly” or “goes to a good cause”.

Those to me are Chinese slippers. I got them in China for 10RMB each because I’m not much of a haggler. Simple construction and cheap materials. Can’t imagine the cost going past 50RMB to make in whatever materials. Under 10USD converted. I’m actually giving them the benefit of the doubt on quality and materials cost. In my opinion, it’s really 15RMB per pair.

$54 dollars for shoes that most likely only cost $8 to manufacturer. For shoes made in China (mainly) under normal industrial conditions, which suck. My point is that the product isn’t that expensive to make, and two pairs would cost them about $15 (bulk lowers cost). So 54-15= $39 earned per pair bought by some gullible person. Subtract operations cost and it’s around $20+ profit per shoe. Note that they have already given away the second shoe. How about distributing some of that profit?

I can sell you the same shoes for 16USD and a person in Africa or wherever will still receive a pair of shoes. My profit margin would be much lower, but that isn’t my goal. A production move to Africa or Argentina would give people there the ability to lift themselves up by production. Put them in charge. The price of 10USD per shoe. You know the money is going directly to the people that make the shoes (this shall be enforced). They need jobs and opportunities, not shoes. They also don’t need a middle-man running the business and reaping in profit. That’s fucking shameful.

People are suckers for charity through purchase, and overcharging them based on guilt is brilliant. Buy your conscience back!

I’m not stupid and wasteful with my money. I’m also not as gullible and isolated as some (meaning I can grasp what happens in other parts of the world). I’d rather buy 100 pairs of Chinese slippers and send it to Africa. Two countries will now be able to enjoy themselves. Helped more than 100 people for less than the price of a pair of Tom’s Shoes. I’m changing the world as much as Tom’s Shoes is. Heck, I’m even buying from the same factory.